When we imagine the professionals caring for aging Veterans, we often immediately think of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Still, one avenue of care you may not consider is geriatric mental health.
While older Veterans have vast experience coping with challenges, some face longstanding or emerging mental health conditions as they grow older. As our Veteran population ages, those who have served our country will need mental health professionals to help them continue to live their best lives.
A Unique Expertise
When it comes to providing for our aging veterans’ mental health, geriatric psychiatrists bring unique expertise to our team. They focus on the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental and emotional disorders in the elderly. However, the critical difference for geriatric professionals is their experience with older adults who have multiple medical issues and take multiple medications.
Aging Veterans may experience depression, anxiety, distressing memories from their military service, or stress related to health concerns—including pain, sleep troubles, or memory problems. Even something as basic as increased difficulty getting around isn’t limited to just the physical—there can be a mental component attached to the possible loss of independence.
“Having access to a specialist who not only understands psychiatric medicine but the pharmacological goals of the elderly we care for has made a tremendous difference in our ability to keep our Veterans stabilized and safe in our memory care unit,” explained Edith Emerson, who works in the memory care unit at the Togus Maine VA.
A Critical Need
VA has many programs to support older Veterans and their families and caregivers, both online and in-person at our facilities. We also provide specialized geriatric services for Veterans and families to help them cope with complex mental health conditions in later life.
However, the need for geriatrics professionals throughout the country is growing. There are more than 11 million people aged 60 and older alive today who have served in the military, representing the largest population of Veterans in the nation. As these Veterans find their way to VA, we must to be ready to meet their needs.
“Nationwide, there’s a shortage of geriatric services, in particular geriatric psychiatry,” said Dr. Isis Burgos-Chapman, a geriatric psychiatrist who provides community living center and outpatient consultation services through one of VA’s Clinical Resource Hubs.
A Career of Caring for Veterans
Between our ever-expanding telehealth services, inpatient care positions, and outpatient care support opportunities, there are plenty of ways a mental health professional with a focus on geriatrics can reach out to aging Veterans and demonstrate our core values—integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence
These core values define who we are as VA employees and how we will fulfill our mission to care for Veterans in all their times of need. In addition, these five ideals describe our culture and serve as the foundation for how we interact with our Veterans and fellow employees.
- Integrity: We act with the highest professional standards and maintain the trust of all we engage.
- Commitment: We work diligently to serve Veterans and are driven by an earnest belief in VA’s mission.
- Advocacy: We are truly Veteran-centric as we work to identify, consider and advance the interests of Veterans.
- Respect: We treat all those we serve and with whom we work with dignity and respect because we believe you must show respect to earn it.
- Excellence: We strive for the highest quality and value continuous improvement.
Work at VA
If you have an interest in working with older Veterans, whether in one of the VA facilities or in their own homes, VA has an opportunity for you.
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